Genshin Impact Ganyu Build Guide [Version 3.0]

Ganyu is considered to be one of the best Cryo DPS characters in Genshin Impact. Maybe one of the best DPS’ in the game. She’s worth nothing if she’s not built properly though.

This guide will give you the most overpowered Genshin Impact Ganyu Build you’ve ever seen. You HAVE to check it out!

Her ability to deal incredible damage to both a single target as well as a group makes her an incredible addition to your team as a main DPS.

Moreover, her Cryo element gives Ganyu access to some of the best elemental reactions in the game in the form of Melt and Freeze.

Being a community favorite, Ganyu has a number of builds with various pros and cons. In addition to that, she can be difficult to level up for players who aren’t as familiar with the map of Liyue.

In this guide, I’ll take tell you how to level up your Ganyu, which talents to level up, and some of her best artifact sets, weapons, and team compositions.

How do I Level Up Ganyu?

Leveling up Ganyu

Every character has 4 ascension materials needed to level up: boss drops, common monster drops, a region-specific gathered material, and their corresponding element’s elemental gem pieces.

In addition to these, the player must also have the standard experience books for any character.

Like all Cryo characters, Ganyu will require Shivada Jade to level up. Ganyu also requires Hoarfrost Cores dropped by the Cryo Regisvine Boss, Nectar dropped from whopperflower enemies, and Qingxin flowers which are found growing on the highest peaks of Liyue’s mountains.

To ascend Ganyu to level 90, you will need:

  • 1 Shivada Jade Slivers
  • 9 Shivada Jade Fragments
  • 9 Shivada Jade Chunks
  • 6 Shivada Jade Gemstones
  • 46 Hoarfrost Cores
  • 168 Qingxin
  • 18 Whopperflower Nectars
  • 30 Shimmering Nectars
  • 36 Energy Nectars
  • 12 Wanderer’s Advice
  • 15 Adventurer’s Experience
  • 414 Hero’s Wit
  • 420,000 Mora

What Talents Do I Level Up for Ganyu?

Ganyu’s main source of damage is her charged attacks from her Normal Attack: Liutian Archery.

Her charged attacks have a second level of charge known as a Frostflake Arrow that deals massive damage to an area around where the arrow lands.

A close second is her elemental burst, Celestial Shower, which deals consistent damage to a large area for a period of time.

Ganyu’s elemental skill, Trail of the Qilin, is a useful tool for escaping and taunting enemies. While it does deal damage, it is far from the damage potential of your other two abilities and therefore the least of your concerns.

It is highly recommended that the player levels up Normal Attack: Liutian Archery as high as possible, followed by Celestial Shower, leaving Trail of the Qilin as an optional last.

The total materials needed to level one of Ganyu’s talents to max level 10 is:

  • 3 Teachings of Diligence
  • 21 Guides to Diligence 
  • 38 Philosophies of Diligence 
  • 9 Shadow of the Warrior
  • 6 Whopperflower Nectar 
  • 22 Shimmering Nectars
  • 31 Energy Nectars
  • 1 Crown of Insight
  • 1,650,000 Mora

Note that Diligence Talent Books are dropped from the Maishan Mansion Domain in Jueyun Karst, Liyue on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.

Shadows of the Warrior are a unique boss drop from the weekly boss Childe in The Golden House just south of Liyue Harbor.

Note that you can only fight this boss once a week and Shadows of the Warrior are only required to level a talent past level 7.

What are the Best Builds for Ganyu?

Ganyu has a wide variety of different builds for different areas of the game. We’ll focus on the best ones available – they will allow you to do anything you want in the game, from unlocking Sumeru Commissions to more advanced in-game stuff.

Early Game Build

In the early game, artifact builds are not as important. Ganyu’s best early game artifact set is Martial Artist.

Early Game Build

The 4-Piece effect of this set synergizes well with Ganyu’s charged attacks and will keep your character relevant until you can gain access to higher-tier artifacts.

As for weapons, the most available option is the Prototype Crescent which can be crafted by the blacksmith in any town.

Prototype Crescent

Using this bow does however require some skilled aiming as you can only benefit from the set’s effects by hitting the target’s weak spots.

Late Game Build

Late game, Ganyu has a number of options for builds and team compositions.

Melt Ganyu: 

As the name might suggest, this team composition and build utilize the Melt reaction between the Pyro and Cryo elements.

It functions around applying Pyro to an enemy and using Ganyu to trigger a reverse melt reaction for 1.5x damage or first using Ganyu to apply Cryo and triggering the melt reaction with a Pyro sub DPS for 2x damage.

While it might seem like reverse melt is not as good as normal melt, keep in mind that this bonus is applied to the damage of the triggering attack and very few characters in the game are capable of producing as strong a single instance of damage as Ganyu is.

The artifact built that is the most used for Melt Ganyu is Wanderer’s Troupe.

Wanderer’s Troupe

The 2-piece effect gives additional elemental mastery increasing the damage of elemental reactions. And similar to the early game Martial Artist set, the 4-piece effect heavily buffs her charged attack damage.

The artifact substats you are looking for are Crit Rate, Crit Damage, Elemental Mastery, and Attack %.

For main stats you want the following:

  • Circlet: Crit Rate or Crit DMG depending on which you need more of.
  • Sands: Elemental Mastery or Attack %
  • Goblet: Cryo Damage Bonus %

This team composition pairs Ganyu with a Pyro sub DPS or a character capable of applying consistent Pyro effects. The best characters for this are Xiangling or Kazuha paired with Bennett.

Honorable mention to the Shimenawa Reminiscence artifact set. While this set provides a greater charged attack bonus, its effect also drains Ganyu’s energy, denying her the use of her powerful Elemental Burst.

Freeze Ganyu:

This team composition is built around two things. The Cryo team resonance is achieved by having 2 or more Cryo characters in your team, and the 4-piece effect of the Blizzard Strayer artifact set. It utilizes the Freeze reaction which combines Cryo and Hydro.

Blizzard Strayer

Combining these two effects allows Ganyu to gain up to an additional +55% Crit Rate. This allows Ganyu to focus more on building Crit Damage rather than trying to balance Crit Rate.

The artifact substats you are looking for are Crit Damage, Crit Rate, Elemental Mastery, and Attack %.

Shattering Ice

For main stats you want the following:

  • Circlet: Crit Damage
  • Sands: Attack % or Elemental Mastery
  • Goblet: Cryo Damage Bonus %

This team composition MUST pair Ganyu with a second Cryo character. The most common pairing is with Diona for her shielding, healing, and buffing supportive capabilities. In addition, this team requires a character that can apply Hydro consistently.

The most common pairing is Mona or Kokomi. The final team slot is up to you but it’s highly suggested that you bring a character like Sucrose, Kazuha, or Venti who is capable of grouping up enemies, allowing you to Freeze them all at once.

Best Weapons for Ganyu

If you do not have a good 5-star bow, Ganyu can make good use of the Prototype Crescent even in the late game.

That being said, Ganyu is able to use almost every 5-star bow in the game with the exception of Elegy for the End.

Her top 3 5-star bows are:

Aqua Simulacra

For its incredibly high Crit Damage substat. This bow is well suited for Freeze Ganyu or if you chose to use a Crit Rate Circlet for your artifact.

Polar Star

Shines when Ganyu stays out on the field frequently using all of her abilities. The more times you hit enemies with her charged attacks, Celestial Shower, or Trail of the Qilin, the more this weapon will increase her attack.

Amos Bow

Is arguably the easiest 5-star bow to obtain as it is available on the Standard Banner. It’s a good general all round bow that increases the attack stat instead of crit to help you deal more damage overall. Its weapon effect also synergizes well with Ganyu’s charged attacks.

Conclusion

Ganyu continues to be one of the community favorites. Her outstanding damage allows her to freely fit into a variety of team compositions as a main DPS. 

While the process of leveling her ascension and talents can be quite tedious, it is also incredibly rewarding.

She is a great character to invest in and her damage cements her as one of the strongest late-game options for end-game content. She’s great for defeating the Thunder Manifestation, for example – so make sure you continue reading about that terrible boss.

Calin Ciabai

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